Load-transfer devices for highway joints



May 1, 1956 A. E. BRICKMAN LOAD-TRANSFER DEVICES FOR HIGHWAY JOINTS Filed Oct. 25, 1951 5 flw HIMWUIMNOA OHIII 8 2%?? Hull w 9 w M 5 7 45 4L 1 United rates Patent LOAD-TRANSFER DEVICES FOR HIGHWAY JOINTS Alan E. Brickman, iiufialo, N. Y., assignor, by mesneassignments, to Acme Highway Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y a corporation of New Yorlr Application @ctoher 25, 1951, Serial No. 253,082

4 Claims. (Cl. 94--8) This invention relates to load-transfer devices or joint supports of the type used in highway construction between adjacent ends of pavement slabs to maintain surface alinement of the ends of the slabs when subjected to traffic and other stresses.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide loadtransfer devices which may be efficiently and easily assembled on a joint filler and which will maintain their initial connection with the joint filler while being handled and installed on a sub-surface and when subjected to the flow forces of wet cement or concrete.

A further object of this invention is to provide means of improved construction for facilitating the assembly of the load-transfer devices on the joint fillers.

A still further object is to provide a spring clip of improved construction for connecting the load-transfer device to a filler member.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a spring unit having a part formed to grip a joint filler and which is connected with a cover member for holding the cover member in correct relation to the spade portion of the load-transfer device.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section on line 1-1, Fig. 2, of a load-transfer device showing the same in operative relation to a joint filler.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing a pair of load-transfer devices embodying this invention in operative rela tion to each other and to a joint filler.

Fig. 3 is an end view of a joint filler when viewed as indicated by line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the other end of a joint filler as seen from the section line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation thereof, on line 55, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown in broken lines, the ends of two adjacent pavement slabs 8 and 9 between which a joint filler 10 is arranged to permit expansion and contracttion of the pavement slabs. These joint fillers may be made of any suitable resilient compressible material, and in the construction of the pavement the concrete or other paving material is poured or formed into direct contact with the joint filler. The pavement slabs 8 and 9 are laid on the usual sub-grade (not shown).

The joint supports each include an anchoring member 12 which may be of any suitable or desired form and which is embedded in an end portion of a pavement slab during the pouring or forming of the same. In the particular construction illustrated by way of example, the anchoring member has a downwardly extending curved portion 14, the lower end of which is formed to rest upon the sub-grade on which the pavement is laid. The other end of the anchoring member terminates in a substantially ing member or spade 18 extending from the abutment member in a direction opposite to the anchoring member and formed to extend under the joint filler and under a part of the end portion of the adjacent pavement slab. The supporting member or spade may be of any suitable form and is of sufiicient length and width to provide a secure bearing on the underface of the slab with which it cooperates, and so provide for transfer of applied. load from one slab to the adjacent slab.

The joint filler 10 is provided at intervals with upwardly extending notches or recesses 19 through and beyond which the supporting members or spades 18 of a pair of oppositely disposed load-transfer devices or joint supports extend. The load-transfer devices are usually arranged in adjacent pairs facing in opposite directions from the joint filler, and such pairs of load-transfer devices are provided at intervals lengthwise of the joint filler, as is customary in road construction, and since the operation of these loadtransfer devices is well understood by those skilled in the art, further explanation as to their action in keeping the adjacent ends of slabs in alinement is not deemed necessary.

In connection with load-transfer devices or joint supports of this type, a cover member or guard shoe is generally provided which overlies the spade or supporting member 18 and forms at the outer end of the spade a cavity in the pavement slab into and out of which the end of the spade may move during expansion and contraction of the pavement slabs and the resulting contraction or expansion of the joint filler 10. These cover members are usually made of relatively thin sheet metal and include a top surface 20 formed with integral downwardly extending side walls 21, see Fig. 5, and an end wall 22. The side walls preferably have extensions 24 extending toward each other along the bottom surface of the spade 18, and the end wall 22 also has an extension 25 bent to extend along the undersurface of the spade 18. Cover members or guard shoes of any other construction may be employed. It is necessary that these cover members be secured to the spades of the load-transfer devices and correctly held thereon during the assembly of the loadtransfer devices and joint filler so that they will be correctly positioned when the concrete or other pavement material is poured on the same.

It is, of course, also necessary that the load-transfer devices be correctly mounted on the joint fillers and held in place thereon, during the moving of the joint filler into correct position on the sub-grade prior to the pouring of the concrete or other paving material. For this purpose, a spring member or unit is provided which serves to facilitate the positioning of the load-transfer devices on the joint filler, to secure the load-transferring devices against displacement relatively to the joint filler during handling, and also to hold the cover members or guard shoes on the spades of the load-transferring devices. This spring unit is preferably made of a single piece of spring wire bent so that the end portions thereof provide two upwardly extending legs 2'7 having return bents 28 at their upper ends and having laterally extending portions 29 at their lower ends which extend into hearings or hinge connections 34) on the upper face of the cover member or shoe. These hinge connections may be formed in any suitable manner, for example, by partly punching out portions of the upper wall 20 of the cover member and forming them into hinge-like parts 30.

The lateral portions 29 of the spring wire terminate beyond the sides of the cover member in a downwardly extending loop comprising downwardly extending parts 32 joined at their lower ends by a substantially horizontal part 33 extending transversely of the spade member underneath the same.

In order to support the spring units in correct relation to the load-transfer devices, the lower surface of each spade is provided with a shoulder against which the lower part 33 of the spring loop may bear to lock the cover member on the load supporting device. For example, a' lug or projection 35 may be provided for this purpose on the lower face of the spade, with which the lower part 33 of the loop may be moved into engagement as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so that the legs 27 will extend upwardly at a slight inclination to the vertical face of the joint filler. When in this position, the loop also holds the. cover member in operative relation to the spade.

In order to facilitate the placing of the load-transfer devices on the joint filler, the upper portion of each leg 27' of the gripping member is bent at a slight inclination to the lower portion away from the abutment member, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so as to provide a V-shaped or tapering. entrance for the joint filler when the same andthe load-transfer device are placed into their operative positions as shown in Fig. 1. This bend 37 of each leg is preferably spaced slightly above the end member 38 of the loop portion 28 so that the lower end of the part 38 extends to a slight extent toward the joint filler beyond the leg, 27. The lower end of the leg 38, consequently, forms a spur or projection which bears against the joint filler and which may penetrate the joint filler to aslight extent to prevent removal of the same from its operative relation to the load-transfer device. By means of this construction, the clamping or spring members serve to guide the load-transfer device and joint filler into their operative positions and also to prevent separation of the joint filler and load-transfer device. If, however, it is desired to remove the load-transfer device from the joint filler, it is only necessary to grasp the upper end of the loop 28 and move the same against the spring action of the leg 27 to move the spur end of the downwardly extending part 38 out of engagement with the joint filler.

It is also desirable to provide means for normally holding the upright legs 27 in spaced relation to the abutment member 15 so that the joint filler may readily be inserted into the space between the abutment member andthe clamping legs 27. For this purpose, a spring 40 may be provided in the end of the cover member 18 to bear against the end of the spade 18. This spring may be of any suitable or desired construction, and as shown by way of example in the drawings, this spring preferably includes a U-shaped portion 41 formed to seat against the end wall 22 of the cover member and having an arm 42 which resiliently bears against the end of the spade 18. This spring, consequently, tends to draw the cover iember in the direction to the right shown in Fig. l and by doing so, it swings the spring unit into a position in which the legs 27 thereof extend into approximately up right position in which the inclined upper portion thereof is spaced from the abutment member 15 to a sufficient extent to permit the joint filler to readily enter into its operative position between the abutment member 15 and the legs 27 It frequently is desirable to provide bars or rods connecting the load-transfer devices and extending substantially parallel to the joint filler. Any suitable means for attaching such rods or bars to the load-transfer devices may be employed, and in the construction shown for this purpose, the outer ends of the anchoring members are provided with foot portions 45 to which the rods or bars 46 may be secured. The base or lower face of each foot member is provided with an upwardly extending slot or recess into which the bar or rod 46 may enter. The bar or rod may be held in this recess in the lower surface of the foot member in any suitable manner, for example,

by means of a wire clip having a horizontal portion 47 which seats in a notch or recess 48 on the upper surface of the foot part 45 and the ends of the horizontal portion 47 are provided with U-shaped bends or hooks 49 formed to extend under the rod or bar 46 so as to prevent the bar or rod from moving downwardly out of the slot in which it is seated.

In the assembly of the load-transfer devices described and the joint filler, the joint filler may be held in an inverted vertical position while the load-transfer devices are assembled thereon by inverting these load-transfer devices and then pushing them downwardly into operative relation to the joint filler so that the joint filler will be located in the space between the abutment member 15 and the legs 27 of the gripping devices. This assembly is carried out adjacent to the ultimate location of the joint filler on the prepared sub-grade of the pavement. After the load-transfer devices have been assembled on the joint filler, the assembly is then inverted and moved into the ultimate location desired. The compressible joint filler It) does not ordinarily have sulficient strength to permit the handling of the same with the load-transfer devices mounted thereon, and consequently, it is desirable to provide the rods or bars 46 which can readily be applied to the anchor members of the load-transfer devices while the same are in inverted position. Consequently, the turning over of the joint support assembly and the moving of the same into its final position can much more easily be effected if the rods or bars 46 are secured to the anchor members of the load-transfer devices and the danger of breaking or damaging the joint filler is greatly reduced.

In practice, the load-transfer devices, when shipped by the manufacturer of the same to the highway under construction, are frequently subjected to rough handling such, for example, as dumping a group of these parts from the truck to the portion of the highway on which they are to be used. For this reason, it has been found in most cases to be desirable to ship the covering members and the springs separately from the joint fillers themselves and to have them assembled at the locations where they are to be used. By means of the construction shown in which the covers and the spring units are connected with each other, it is a very easy matter to assemble the cover members and the spring units on the load-transfer devices, it being merely necessary to push the cover member lengthwise of the spade until the loop portion 33 snaps into the shoulder formed by the lug or projection 35. The spring 49 then moves the cover member into its outer position and at the same time moves the legs 27 into a position in which the joint filler can easily pass into the space between the legs 27 and the abutment member 15. It will also be noted that the top, bottom and side walls of the cover members taper, and consequently, the cover members can be nested one within another so as to occupy the minimum space during shipment.

The load-transfer devices described also have the advantage that a very small amount of work is necessary on the location at which the joints are to be used on a highway, in order to assemble the two parts of the loadtransfer devices and to position the assembled loadtransfer devices in operative relation to the joint filler and to assemble the rods or bars 46 on the load-transfer devices. Since all of the parts readily fit into their correct positions, this work can be done by unskilled labor.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a load-transfer device for a road joint between two adjacent pavement slabs separated by a joint filler, said load-transfer device including an upright member amaese having a face formed to abut against one face of th joint filler and having an anchoring member extending outwardly therefrom to be embedded in one pavement slab and a spade extending laterally from the lower portion of said upright member in a direction opposite from said anchoring member to extend below said filler and a part of the other slab, that improvement which includes a cover member fitting about said spade, and a spring unit formed of a single piece of wire having the intermediate portion thereof formed in a loop extending along the sides and lower portion of said spade and pivoted on the upper portion of said cover member, the ends of said spring unit forming legs which extend upwardly from said pivotal connection in spaced relation to said upright member, and a projection on said spade with which said loop engages to hold said cover member in place on said spade and to bias said spring unit to yieldingly urge said legs toward said face of said upright member.

2. In a load-transfer device for a road joint between two adjacent pavement slabs separated by a joint filler, said loadtransfer device including an upright member having a face formed to abut against one face of the joint filler and having an anchoring member extending outwardly therefrom to be embedded in one pavement slab and a spade extending laterally from the lower portion of said upright member in a direction opposite from said anchoring member to extend below said filler and a part of the other slab, that improvement which includes a cover member formed to fit about said spade, and a spring member consisting of a single piece of wire having the intermediate portion thereof formed into a loop extending along the sides and lower portion of said spade and pivotally secured to the upper portion of said cover member, the ends of said spring member forming legs which are spaced apart and extend upwardly from said pivotal connection in spaced relation to said face of said upright member and a projection on saidspade with which said loop engages when said spade is inserted into said cover member to hold said cover member in place on said spade, the upper ends of said legs being looped over into substantially parallel relation, said looped portion also being bent at a slight angle to the lower portions of said legs in a direction away from said upright member to facilitate the entrance of a joint filler between said legs and said upright member.

3. A load transfer device in accordance with claim 2, in which ends of said wire project toward said upright member beyond said legs to penetrate said joint filler to hold the load-transfer device against removal from said joint filler. i

4. In load-transfer devices for a road joint between adjacent pavement slabs separated by a joint filler and including anchoring members extending into a position to be embedded in said pavement slabs and having their end portions curving downwardly to rest on the subgrade of a pavement, that improvement which includes foot portions at the ends of said anchoring members and having upwardly extending recesses in the lower faces thereof, rods extending transversely to said anchoring members and received in said recesses, notches in the upper faces of said foot portions and wire clips having their intermediate portions extending into said notches and having hooks at their ends extending under said rods for holding the same in said recesses.

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,768,689 Huntington July 1, 1930 2,261,602 Yeoman Nov. 4, 1941 2,283,787 Brickman May 19, 1942 2,319,049 Fischer May 11, 1943 2,319,513 Parker May 18, 1943 2,589,815 Jacobson Mar. 18, 1952 2,652,752 Crone Sept. 22, 1953 

